Two Bombs
by king6475
Summary: A story about two bombings and their aftermaths. Chs.8 and 9 are up, along with a revised character list. CH.10 is coming soon!
1. Chapter 1 and Characters

The man sat at the table, tapping his foot on the ground nervously. Jim's Diner of Dillimore didn't exactly seem like the safest place to be at 3 AM. The old '50s diner reeked of undercooked food and the bathrooms smelled like the piss of a thousand dirty hobos.

"Hey hon, can I get you something to drink?" The man looked up. A waitress stood beside the table, a clipboard in one hand and a coffee pitcher in the other.

"No thanks." the man replied. "I'm not very thirsty."

"Aw, come on. It's three in the morning and you need some coffee to wake you up."

"Alright, alright," the man agreed. "How much do I owe ya'?"

"Don't worry about it. It's on the house." said the waitress as she filled the man's cup. "Drink up."

Suddenly, the doorbell rang, and two dirty-looking men walked in. One was short, with greasy black hair, and the other was taller and sported a brown trenchcoat.

"What can I get for you boys?" asked the waitress with the coffee pitcher. She walked toward them, clipboard in hand. Then, without warning, the tall man drew a pistol from his coat and fired it into the air. The customers in the diner screamed and dropped to the ground, hands over their heads. The waiters and waitresses did the same.

"Where is James Charrin?" asked the trenchcoat man.

"Who?" asked one of the waiters, who looked like he was about to crap his pants.

"James Charrin!" yelled the short man. "Where is he?"

While the two criminals were screaming at the customers, the man with the coffee quietly crept towards the back door. He would have succeeded, too, if he hadn't knocked over a frying pan on the counter. The gunman, his partner, and the customers turned toward the noise. The trenchcoat man raised his gun and pointed it at the unfortunate man's head.

"James Charrin. How nice to make your acquaintance."

"Aw, hell."

The gun fired.

**THE CHARACTERS**

**Carl Johnson (aka CJ) – **A young man living in the ghetto of Los Santos. Two years ago, CJ returned to Los Santos from Liberty City after his mother died. He reunited with his siblings Sweet and Kendl, and his childhood friends Ryder and Big Smoke.One year ago, CJ killed the corrupt police officers Tenpenny and Pulaski and also Ryder and Smoke, who had both been corrupted by drugs, money, and power.

**Wu Zi Mu (aka Woozie)**- Another of CJ's closest friends, and the leader of the San Fierro-based gang Mountain Cloud Boys. Woozie shares ownership of the Four Dragons Casino with CJ.

**James Charrin-** Mysterious man who was murdered in a country diner. Not much is known about him at the moment.

**Sam Forelli- **A member of the Forelli crime family. Sam, Frankie, and the rest of the Forelli Family come to San Andreas to increase their vast empire. Sam's base of operations is located in Vice City.

**Frankie Galetti-** Another member of the Forellis and Sam's right-hand man. He goes with the Sam and the other Forellis to San Andreas.

**Sweet Johnson**- CJ's brother. A stubborn man, Sweet does not always agree with his brother's methods, but knows they are for the best. He was targeted by Ballas in an assassination attempt.

**Kendl Johnson- **The wisest one of the Johnson kids, and also the one who is most likely to succeed. Her boyfriend is Cesar Vialpando, who is one of CJ's most trusted friends.

**Cesar Vialpando- **CJ's closest friend and ally. He helps CJ as much as he can and sticks with him through thick and thin. He is Kendl's boyfriend.

**Jay Box-** One of CJ's new friends. A cop from another city, Jay is no stranger to the drugs, crime, and corruption of the streets.

**Robert Jackson- **Also one of CJ's newer friends. He is a lawyer who was to be assassinated by CJ under the command of Officer Tenpenny. CJ took pity on Robert, however, after learning that they both had a few things in common.

**Kelly Sanchez-** A girl that Jay met in Las Venturas. She was actually a part of the bombing in Las Venturas. She was killed by CJ.

**Catalina Vialpando**- She was also part of the Las Venturas bombing. She was arrested by Jay.

**Lianne Forget- **News anchor of WCTR.

**Tim Morrison- **News anchor for Channel 7.

**GANGS**

**Orange Grove Families**- The gang led by CJ and Sweet, and also the most law-abiding gang out of the Los Santos Three.

**Ballas- **Part of the Los Santos Three. They control most of Los Santos, which makes them the most influential.

**Vagos- **The smallest and most scattered Los Santos gang. Nevertheless, they are a force to be reckoned with.

**Forelli Family-** They come to San Andreas from Liberty City to increase their power and influence.

**Fat Joe- **A main member of the Orange Grove Families.

**Tommy- **Another OGF

**Spike- **Yet another OGF

"**Jack Black"-** A Balla who posed as an electricity inspector and tried to kill the OGFs. Was killed by Fat Joe, Tommy, and Spike.

"**John Smith"- **Another Balla who posed as an electricity inspector. Was killed by Spike.

**Mafia Hitman-** A Forelli member who was in charge of the Las Venturas-Los Santos drug shipment. Was killed by CJ.

**Candy Shop Forellis 1 and 2- **Two Ballas who ambushed Jay and CJ in a San Fierro candy shop. They were both killed.

**Terence**- Revealed in a flashback to have been Sweet's best friend. Betrayed the OGFs and became a Balla. Responsible for the deaths of Brian Johnson and Beverly Johnson. Died from battle wounds after reconciling with Sweet.

**Big Killa**- Revealed in a flashback to have been the leader of the Idlewood Ballas. Was killed by Sweet. His death is the reason that the Ballas want Sweet dead.

**A major turf war is brewing over the bombing of the Los Santos Coliseum. Everyone is pointing fingers and no one knows who is responsible. There is also the matter of the casino bombing in Las Venturas, which is thought to be orchestrated by a major crime family.**

**Chapter 1**

**Getting Started**

CJ sat at the table, eating a bowl of Cok-O-Pops. The house seemed quiet, so CJ switched on the TV. The TV blared, and CJ grinned with delight. He switched it to the news channel to see if there was anything big happening.

"_Good evening, folks. This is Tim Morrison, for Channel 7 news. Our top story tonight involves yesterday's morning's fatal shooting of a man in a Dillimore diner."  
_

CJ put down his cereal bowl and stared intently at the TV screen.

"_At about 3:00 yesterday morning, 33-year old James Charrin was shot and killed. Witnesses say that two masked men entered Jim's Diner in Dillimore, and demanded the whereabouts of Charrin. Charrin, who was in the diner at the time, attempted to escape through the back door but was noticed by one of the men, who promptly shot Charrin in the back."_

The view switched from Tim the news anchor to a reporter interviewing a witness.

"It was terrible," the witness was saying. "We were all minding our own business, when like, these two masked dudes came in. They were like 'Where's James Charrin? Where's James Charrin?' Then, we all saw the poor guy trying to get out the back door. The masked dude shot James in the back before he could escape, man. Damn, it was crazy, man. My heart goes out to James' family. God bless."

"Thank you." said the reporter. "Back to you, Tom."

_As of now, the police have no leads on the shooting. Witnesses have reported that the two suspects sped away in a red Infernus. If you have any further information, please contact us here at the station._

The news station's phone number popped up on the screen for a few seconds before it went to a commercial. CJ turned off the TV and continued to eat his breakfast. The news story had caught CJ's attention, and he vowed to himself that he would get to the bottom of it.

* * *

It was about 3:30 PM later that day. Jay Box drove along the Julius Thruway, heading into Las Venturas. It was a Friday, and Jay figured it was a great night to go gambling at the Four Dragons. It was a good thing he had stayed at the Four Dragons, too, and not at Caligula's.

"Hey, CJ!" Jay spoke into his cellphone.

"Yeah?" came the other line.

"Wanna go hit the casinos tonight?"

"You mean, like gambling?"

"No, I mean like watching shows and strippers. Of course I mean gambling! But if you want, we can see the strippers too..."

"Uh, sorry man, I got some things to do. Maybe some other time."

"Ok then. Catch you later, huh?"

He hung up and parked in the parking lot of the casino. Jay walked up to the front door and pulled it open. A young lady walked up and Jay politely held the door open for her. Suddenly, about half a mile down the street...

FFFFOOOOOOMMMMMM! There was a gigantic explosion and flames and smoke immediately filled the sky. People everywhere screamed and cars skidded to a halt.

"Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch!" Jay cried in amazement. He and the lady both dropped to the ground with their hands over their heads. After the smoke had cleared, everyone stood up and turned towards the blast site.

"Oh my God!" someone cried. "Look at the casino!"

Caligula's Casino, which had once been a site of beauty and extravagance, was now a smoldering ruin on the ground. What was left of the casino was now charred rubble. People nearby walked over to survey the damage.

Jay turned to the girl next to him.

"Are you ok, miss?" he asked.

"I'm fine. Thanks."

"I wonder how many people were killed." she wondered aloud.

"I don't know. Musta been a lot, though. Caligula's is always packed with tourists and rich white people."

"You wanna go check it out?" the girl asked.

* * *

CJ drove down the streets of Los Santos in his Remington. While stopped at a red light, his phone rang. It was Jay.

"CJ, put your radio on WCTR.

"What for?"

"Just do it!"

"Damn, calm down man. I got it. Now what?"

_Hello. This is Lianne Forget with WCTR. Our news team is currently at Caligula's Casino, or at least what remains of it. At about 4:00 this afternoon, multiple explosions rocked the casino and sent it crashing to the ground. At least one hundred fatalities have been reported as of now, but we know there will be more to come. Stay with us for further coverage on this disaster."_

"Damn!" cried CJ. "I'll be there as fast as I can, Jay."

"How? The airport flights must have been delayed and traffic is gonna be hell. How will you get over here?"

"Oh, don't worry. I have my ways."

CJ arrived at the Los Santos airport later that afternoon. He hopped a fence around back of the airport and took a plane that was parked nearby. He was at Las Venturas in about 90 minutes. Once there, he met Jay at a nearby restaurant.

"I got here as fast as I could, Jay."

"Wow. You sure did."

* * *

"Hey! It's good to see you, homie." said Fat Joe as he embraced his fellow gang member, Spike.

"Yeah, yeah, good to see you too." Spike said. "Look, here comes Tommy!"

The other OGF, Tommy, drove up on his red PCJ-600.

"Hey, homies!"

The three of them stood on a bridge in East Los Santos. The Vagos owned that turf, and if you were wearing opposite gang colors, you'd get jumped. Good thing the three OGFs were all wearing blue.

"So, where to?" asked Tommy.

"I dunno. Let's get something to eat. I'm starving." answered Fat Joe.

"Cool with me," said Spike.

The three of them climbed into Fat Joe's car. They were halfway down the street when a helicopter flew past. It hovered over the Los Santos Stadium. Without warning, the man in the passenger seat pulled out a heat-seeking rocket launcher and fired twice at the stadium. The stadium shook and flames erupted from the windows. Then the helicopter flew away, as quickly as it had come.

"What the fuck!" cried Tommy.

"Shit! Let's get the hell out of here!"

Fat Joe put the car in reverse. He spun it around and drove it straight up a hill and out of sight. Behind them, Los Santos Stadium burned furiously. Flames flicked from the windows, the door, and the roof. Cars stopped in the middle of the road, pedestrians stared, and people in their houses looked out their windows to see what all the fuss was about. They all saw the same thing: Hell. Bright, burning Hell.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**What The Hell Is Going On?**

"Did you see what happened?" CJ asked Jay.

"Nope. There was just this big explosion, and Caligula's fell to the ground. People ran away screaming and cars stopped dead in their tracks. People must have been killed."

CJ turned to the girl who was sitting next to Jay.

"Hey, did you see anything?" he asked.

"Huh? Oh, no. I was with Jay the whole time." She extended her hand to CJ. "I'm Kelly. Kelly Sanchez."

CJ shook her hand. "Carl. Nice to meet you."

CJ's phone rang. "'Scuse me. I gotta take this."

"Hello?"

"CJ, it's Tommy. You gotta get your ass over here. The Los Santos Stadium was hit by an RPG!"

"Aw, no. You're shittin' me, right?"

"I wish I was, dude. The fire department and the paramedics are on their way as we speak."

"Where are you guys?"

"Don't worry, we're in Ganton right now. Fat Joe got us away from the stadium as fast as he could."

"Alright then," sighed CJ. "I'll be there soon."

He turned to Jay and Kelly.

"I just heard there was a bombing over in Los Santos, too. What the fuck is going on?"

"No way." said Jay in disbelief. "No way!"

"You guys are both welcome to come with me back to Los Santos. I'm gonna go check it out."

"I'm coming." answered Jay. "Kelly, you coming?"

"No thanks. I have a few calls to make. I gave you my number, right Jay?"

"Um, yeah, I think so."

"Good. Call me sometime and maybe we can go out, ok?"

"Come on," said CJ to Jay. "Follow me. I have a car parked not too far from here."

CJ and Jay left the restaurant and walked down the street. After they had gone, Kelly pulled a cell phone from her purse and dialed a number.

"Hello? It's Kelly. The plan went off without a hitch, and Caligula's is no more than a black spot on the ground. I'll be at our hideout in about an hour.

* * *

Fat Joe, Tommy, and Spike all sat in CJ's house watching the news.

"_Good afternoon. This is Tim Morrison for Channel 7 News. About 30 minutes ago, the Los Santos Stadium was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade. Fatalities have already been confirmed, including Jackson Tracks of Idlewood and Carlos Martinez of East Beach."_

"Oh, shit!" exclaimed Spike, leaping up from his chair. "I know those guys! One's a Balla, and one's a Vago!"

"So? That sucks for them, but what does that have to do with us?" asked Fat Joe.

"Don't you get it?" asked Tommy. "What do you think the Ballas and Vagos will think when they find out one of their members has died?"

"They'll be pretty pissed." said Fat Joe, oblivious.

"And when they find out that no one from the Families was killed? Then what'll they think?"

"Umm..." Fat Joe was confused.

"You mark! They'll think _we_ launched that missile!" cried Spike.

"But we didn't! It's just a coincidence!"

"Homie, what are you on? Those fools don't think like that. They always jump to conclusions!"

"So, in other words, Fat Joe, we're screwed! The Ballas _and _the Vagos are gonna kill the Families! Literally!"

"Those motherfuckers!"

Sam Forelli sat at his desk, smoking a Cuban cigar. Two of his men, Frankie and Jim, sat across from him. Sam puffed on his cigar and blew a smoke ring into the air. He turned to Frankie and Jim, who both looked very nervous. Sam turned away again and looked out the window, where 20 stories below, the waters of Vice City glistened in the sun. Sam flicked his cigar out the window and turned back to his henchmen.

"I send you two to do a simple job, and somehow, you manage to fuck it up! I deliberately told you to destroy the stadium, not to scratch it with two missiles!"

"Sorry, boss." said Frankie. "But I got an idea. There's gangs in Los Santos, right? Well, odds are, we just killed a few gang members back there. Knowing them, they'll start a whole war over it! Hopefully, they'll all take each other out, and then we can take control of Los Santos and work our way up to San Andreas.

"What about the cops?" asked Jim.

"Cops are petty shit compared to the brutal street gangs. With the right equipment, we can take them down easily." replied Frankie. "I saw we go to San Andreas now, and wait for the gang war to start. When it's finally over, we make our move."

"Hmmm," pondered Sam. "Not bad, not bad at all. I think you're right."

"What!" cried Jim angrily. "He gives you a shitty idea like that and you forgive him instantly?" That's bullshit! That's--"

"Quiet!" roared Sam, smashing his fists down onto the table. I want no more of this, you understand? Now gentlemen, get your things. We're catching the next flight to San Andreas."

Jim and Frankie got up and walked towards the door.

"Jim?" called Sam. Jim turned around. "You know, I didn't really like that rude outburst you had a minute ago."

Sam produced a silenced pistol from underneath the table and shot Jim twice in the chest. Jim's body fell to the ground, the blood soaking the carpet.

"What the—?" Frankie started.

"Shut up and be glad you're still alive." Sam replied coldly

* * *

When Kelly arrived at the hideout, it was nighttime. She could hear the frogs croaking down by the river and the crickets in the grass. Kelly climbed out of her Stinger and entered the hideout.

"Ow! Son of a bitch! Why are the lights off?"

She flicked the lights on and placed her purse on the table. Then she walked into the kitchen, made herself a sandwich, and sat down at the table. Kelly called out to her partner.

"Dammit Catalina, where the hell are you?


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**An Old Friend**

The Ballas gathered around Jackson Tracks' tombstone. They all paid their respects, one by one. Three of the Ballas, Chris, Tyrone, and Danny, walked up to the front of the group and faced the crowd. They knew about Carlos Martinez too, and they swore that the OGFs would pay for both deaths.

A black Savanna drove up and out stepped the leader of the Vagos, Jack "The Ripper" Rodriguez. A few of the Ballas advanced on Jack threateningly, but Tyrone, the leader of the Ballas, stopped them.

"Hey, back off, fools! We've formed an alliance with the Vagos. Together, we're gonna wipe out the Orange Grove Families!"

"_¡Muerte a las Familias!"

* * *

_

Catalina emerged from the back room, brandishing a butcher knife in her right hand.

"Geez, Catalina, put that thing away. You're gonna poke an eye out." muttered Kelly.

Catalina tossed the knife onto the table.

"Shit! Don't _throw _it!"

"Shut up. How did the plan go, huh?"

"It went off without a hitch. I even met this poor bastard who wanted to go out with me."

"What did you tell him?"

"I told him 'Sure.' I even gave him our number. If he calls, tell him to come here. Then kill him."

"Kill him!" Catalina blurted out. "Are you crazy!"

"Hey, you know what? I could care less. By the way, do you know some guy named Carl?"

"Carl? Carl who?"

"I don't know, he didn't say. He was a black guy, looked pretty fit, about 20-something years old. You probably don't know him, though. I was just wondering."

Catalina thought for a minute. Then, she said to Kelly, "Show me this Carl."

Kelly walked over to the phone and dialed Jay's cell phone number.

"Hello? Hi Jay, this is Kelly. Hey, you know that diner in Dillimore? The one where that man was killed at? Meet me there in about 20 minutes. Bring that Carl guy, too. I wanna introduce you guys to one of my friends."

"Ok," said Jay. "We'll be right over." He hung up.

"They'll meet us at Jim's Diner in 20 minutes. I told him to bring Carl. Why do you want to meet him, anyways?" Kelly asked Catalina.

"Oh, just a feeling I have."

* * *

"So, where we going?" asked CJ. He and Jay were sitting in Jay's Cheetah, on their way to the diner.

"Remember that girl Kelly?"

"Yeah, sure."

"She told us to meet her there. She said she'd bring a friend."

"Whatever, man."

About a half hour later, Jay's car pulled up to the diner. Carl walked into the restaurant while Jay parked the car. It wasn' t even a minute later when Carl ran out of the restaurant, looking like he had seen a ghost.

"Whoa! What is it?" asked Jay.

"You know how your girlfriend said she was bringing a friend?"

"Uh-huh."

"I saw her friend, and I think I know her!"

"That's nice."

"No, man, you don't understand! I know her! I worked with her! She's a crazy homicidal bitch! She made me rob banks and steal stuff! When she sees me, she'll slash my throat and eat me for dinner! She'll eat me with a can of whoop-ass!"

"Uhhh...ok then. If you're so scared, disguise yourself. Put on some sunglasses or a big jacket so she won't recognize you." replied Jay, a little confused with CJ's predicament.

"Where am I gonna find any of that stuff?"

"Oooh! There's a jacket right there." said Jay, pointing to a jacket lying on the ground. Carl picked it up and put it on.

"Ugh! It smells like shit!"

"Sorry. It was probably used by some hobo or something. Take it or leave it."

"I'll leave it, thank you very much."

"Fine then. Let's go inside already!"

Jay and CJ entered the restaurant. Carl stood by the door while Jay walked up to Kelly and Catalina's table. Jay and Catalina introduced themselves.

"Oh," said Catalina. "Where is your friend Carl? I wanted to meet him."

"He's over by the door over there." Jay pointed to CJ. CJ coughed and waved.

"He's pretty sick. He doesn't want to come over here and get you two sick."

"Oh well then." said Catalina, who sounded more angry than disappointed. "Tell me one thing, though. What's his last name?"

"Uhhh...Johnson, I think. Carl Johnson. He said he might know you."

Catalina turned and looked at CJ with a steely glare that would have turned his blood to ice and melted his insides. Fortunately for CJ, he didn't notice Catalina looking at him. Then Catalina turned back to Jay and said, "Sorry. I don't think I know a Carl Johnson."

"That's ok. He just thought he recognized you when he walked in."

Catalina kicked Kelly in the leg, signaling that it was time to go.

"Oooh, sorry Jay. Catalina and I have to be somewhere in an hour. Nice talking to you though."

"Ok. Nice meeting you, Catalina." Jay said.

"Nice to meet you too. Tell your friend it was nice...seeing him."

Jay walked to the door. He and CJ were halfway out the door when Catalina yelled, "Bye, Carl Johnson!"

Carl wet himself right where he was standing.

* * *

"Dammit Jay, why'd you go and tell her my last name for?" CJ asked Jay angrily. They were both in Jay's car, on their way home.

"She wanted to know. Sorry. I didn't know you were so scared of her."

"Well normally I'm not scared of women. But if you met Catalina, if you saw what she was _really _like, you'd be scared too. Man, now I gotta go home and take a shower. And wash my piss-stained pants!"

"Sorry, sorry. My bad."

"So, Jay, what if I asked you if you still watched Barney the purple dinosaur on TV? What would you tell me?"

"I wouldn't tell you anything."

"You know why you won't tell me anything? Because YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO SAY NO! You didn't have to tell Catalina my last name at all. You coulda' said no."

"Geez, I said I was sorry. What else do you want?"

"Never mind, man. I'm sorry." apologized CJ.

The rest of the ride home was eerily quiet. Until a thought crossed CJ's mind.

"Why wouldn't you tell me if you still watched Barney? It's not like you still watch it, right?

Jay said nothing.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Don't Mess With CJ**

While CJ was away, Fat Joe, Tommy, and Spike were house-sitting. They'd go outside to get his newspaper every morning and make sure that no one tried to rob the house.

Tommy walked outside one morning to get the paper. When he got outside, he was greeted by two Ballas. The only thing was, Tommy didn't know they were Ballas.

"Good morning," said the first Balla. "My name is John Smith, and I'm with the Los Santos Electrics Company. This is my assistant, Jack Black. We just need to perform a routine power check. You know, make sure everything's going fine, make sure that there's no faulty wiring, make sure all the systems work.

"Um, yeah, ok." muttered Tommy.

The Ballas walked inside as Tommy said to himself, "Damn, couldn't their mamas have given them some original names?"

John and Jack entered the kitchen as Tommy, Spike, and Fat Joe stood by the front door.

"Who are these guys?" Spike whispered.

"I dunno, they said they were with the electric company or some shit."

"They don't look very professional." observed Fat Joe. "Look, the one on the left is gonna get himself shocked!"

A crackling sound and a reassuring "Ow!" came from the kitchen.

Spike walked up to the kitchen door. "Excuse me," he said. "What company did you guys say you worked for?"

"We're with the Los Santos Power Company." replied Jack.

"Hmm, that's strange." Tommy chimed in. "You told me you were with the electric company. Do either of you dudes have any like, credentials or identification we can see?"

"Oh yeah," John told him. "Right here, fool!"

Without warning, John produced a pistol from the inside of his coat and aimed it at Tommy.

"Shit!" cried Tommy as he dove out the front door. Fat Joe did the same, but Spike wasn't so lucky. He ran from the kitchen to the front door and screamed in agony when a bullet suddenly ripped through his thigh. Spike toppled to the ground.

"Damn, man! Spike's hurt!" Fat Joe ran back into the house and held up his own 9mm. He pointed it at John's chest and ordered, "Don't move, man. Stay right where you are. I'll shoot you, I'm serious."

Jack took a TEC-9 from his coat and aimed it at Fat Joe, but Tommy came to his rescue and pulled his own gun.

With the four gang members all pointing guns at each other, and with Spike lying wounded on the floor, one could tell by just a quick glance at the scene that this would be a very fateful firefight.

* * *

"CJ, I'm going to Kelly's house. She says she has something to show me." Jay said as they both sat on the couch in Jay's house.

"Can I come?" CJ asked.

"Um, your friend Catalina is going to be there also. You don't want to come."

"Well then I better come with you. You don't know her. She's crazy, and I don't trust her."

"Fine, fine."

CJ and Jay left Verona Beach and drove to Fern Ridge, where Kelly and Catalina's house was located. Jay walked up to the front door and knocked. CJ sat in the car, making sure to stay out of sight. He would only go inside if he was needed.

The door opened and Jay went in. The lights were turned off, so Jay reached over and hit the power switch. The lights came on and Kelly appeared in front of Jay, holding a frying pan. Wham! She smacked Jay in the head, rendering him unconscious.

He woke up tied to a chair. Kelly and Catalina stood on either side, each wielding a knife and 9mm.

"What the hell are you two trying to pull?" Jay demanded.

"Shut up, dumbass" Catalina ordered. "Just shut the fuck up."

"Sorry, Jay." said Kelly as she advanced on Jay, her knife raised in the air.

"Who are you two? What do you want with me?"

"Well, we usually do freelance contracts, but lately, we've been promised a deal. Remember that casino bombing?" asked Kelly.

"Of course."

"That was us. We weren't the ones who planted the bomb, of course, but we were the ones who purchased it and shipped it to the oblivious casino workers."

"But...why?" Jay asked. "Why'd you do it?"

"Money." replied Kelly. "It's all about the money. Now shut up and die, Jay."

With that, Catalina raised her gun and pressed the barrel hard against the side of Jay's head.

* * *

The four of them stood facing each other. Tommy and John. Fat Joe and Jack. Each man had a gun gripped tightly in his hand and was focusing on the matter at hand. Nobody seemed to notice Spike, who was still lying on the ground. The pain in his leg had gone down, but he hadn't gotten up yet.

A bead of sweat dripped from Tommy's forehead and splattered on the ground. He still had his gun at John's chest though, and he wasn't about to back down anytime soon. This would be a brutal fight to the death, he promised himself. A no-strings-attached gun battle. Anything goes.

Suddenly, down on the ground, Spike attacked. He swung his leg out and kicked John hard in the shin. He fell to the ground, knocking down Jack in the process. The three OGFs took this as their chance to flee. They ran out the front door and hid in the bushes, waiting for the two Ballas to emerge from the house.

"Son of a bitch!" cried John. "Get them!" He and Jack left the house, searching desperately for their opponents.

* * *

The door flew open, and in the doorway stood CJ, a 9mm in each hand. He pointed his guns at the two deadly women and said, "Down on the ground, both of you. I can shoot you both before you even raise a finger." Catalina dropped her weapons and crouched on the ground, but Kelly did not. She started backing up towards the back door.

"I'm warning you, bitch, stop right there and I won't hurt you." warned CJ.

"You wouldn't kill me." scoffed Kelly.

"And why not?"

"Because...you'd be a murderer." Kelly aimed her pistol at CJ and tried to pull the trigger, but she was too slow. Two rapid-fire gunshots to the chest from CJ's gun threw Kelly backwards, smashing her into a wall.

"Bitch, I've killed so many people it doesn't even matter to me anymore." CJ fired a last shot straight into Kelly's head, killing her.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Battle In The Streets**

Fat Joe hid beside the house. Spike and Tommy were still hidden in the bushes, with their dark green clothes blending in with the plants. Fat Joe gave them a hand signal, and Tommy and Spike silently crawled out of the bushes and joined their friend. Since the bullet had only grazed Spike's leg, and not pierced it, Spike was able to walk, albeit with a slight limp.

"You ok, homie?" Fat Joe whispered to Spike, as they stood against the wall.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Hey, we ready to go yet?"

"Wait for them to come closer." said Tommy. "We don't wanna make too much noise."

John and Jack neared the house, still scanning the nearby yards for their enemies.

"Steady...steady...steady...now!"

Fat Joe, Tommy and Spike ran out from behind the wall and fired their guns at John and Jack, who immediately took cover. They hid behind a parked car, and Fat Joe, Tommy and Spike each took different hiding spots on the other side of the street. Fat Joe stood against a wall, Spike crouched behind a car, and Tommy...Tommy was nowhere to be found.

John popped up from his spot and fired upon Spike's car. Spike returned fire and Jack dropped back down behind his car. Then it was Jack's turn. He grabbed a grenade from his pocket and lobbed it toward Fat Joe's spot. Fat Joe only had seconds to dive out of the way before the grenade exploded, destroying the wall and setting off car alarms nearby. Fat Joe fired his gun at John and Jack's car as he ran toward the edge of the Grove Street cul-de-sac. He hopped the wall and left the battlefield.

"Fat Joe! Tommy! Where the fuck are you guys?" Spike called desperately.

Meanwhile, Fat Joe met up with Tommy at the back end of CJ's house.

"Hurry up! I left Spike behind." Fat Joe said.

"I know, I know. Follow me, I know a shortcut."

Tommy hopped back into Grove Street, except this time, he was behind CJ's house. Fat Joe did the same.

"Come on." whispered Tommy as he climbed through the open window, into CJ's kitchen.

"Be very quiet. We're gonna sneak up on those Balla fools." Tommy and Fat Joe crept towards the front door and quietly opened it. They looked out through the doorway and surveyed Grove Street. John and Jack were still behind their car, firing at the outnumbered Spike.

"Come on," John whispered. "Let's go get him." The two of them left their post and walked toward Spike, who was still hiding behind the car.

'Shit! They're gonna kill Spike!" cried Tommy. He and Fat Joe ran out of the house and fired at John and Jack. Spike leaped up from behind the car and shot too. John was hit by the rapid gunfire. He dropped to his knees and fell forwards, dead. Jack didn't care. He turned and ran the other way. He ran back to the car he'd been hiding behind, smashed the driver's window, and unlocked the door. Then he hotwired the car and drove off.

"Hey! He's escaping!" called Spike.

"No problem, we'll catch up." said Fat Joe.

"How?" asked Tommy.

Fat Joe walked over to CJ's garage and pulled up the door. Inside were three vehicles: a Picador and two police bikes. Fat Joe took the Picador and Tommy and Spike took the HPV-1000s. They drove off in hot pursuit of the fleeing Jack.

* * *

Jack drove down the crowded Los Santos streets. Those OGF assholes were after him, and they'd killed his partner. But no matter. He'd drive into Temple and meet up with his fellow Ballas, and then they'd all ambush the OGFs. Simple plan, really

The Picador shot down the streets, with the HPVs right behind it. Steering clear of crowds and any other morons who got in the way, the OGF convoy was a strong force to be reckoned with. They steered onto the Mulholland Intersection, chasing after their prey. Fat Joe leaned out of the window and fired at the back of Jack's car. He only went faster.

"Dammit! We're gonna lose him!" Tommy called to Fat Joe.

"No we won't! I have an idea. Use the boards!"

"Aw, crap." muttered Spike. He knew what was coming.

Tommy and Spike lined themselves up behind the Picador, which was quickly gaining on Jack's car. Suddenly, Fat Joe slammed on the brakes, and his Picador ground to a halt. The bikes only went faster. Tommy and Spike aimed their motorcycles at the two 2x4s hanging off the back of the Picador. The boards were just begging to be jumped from.

Jack checked his rearview mirror and saw the Picador stop. _Ha_, he thought. _Stupid fat bastard can't catch me! _Suddenly, he saw the motorcycles. They shot into the air and zoomed towards his car. Spike and Tommy drew their pistols and fired at Jack's car as they flew over it.

"Ohhhhhh, shhhhhiiiiiiiiitttttttt!" screamed Jack as his car, with three tires popped, spun out of control and smashed through the freeway guardrail. It plunged fifty feet to the ground below and caught fire. But the chase wasn't over yet. Jack climbed out of the burning wreckage and took off down the street.

"Hey!" Spike yelled to his friends. "Motherfucker's escaping! He's not dead!"

Still sitting in his car, which was still stopped in the middle of the freeway, Fat Joe dug under his car seat and produced a double-barreled shotgun. He threw it to Spike.

"Use this."

* * *

Jack raced down the street. Now he was fucked. One of those OGFs would find him, and then, it would all be over. But not if he took the next train to Las Venturas. He could start a new life and those dumb fucks would never find him again.

Just then, Jack heard a noise in the distance. It sounded like police sirens! Jack ran faster and faster. He turned a corner and there he was. Spike sat on his police motorcycle, which was parked on the curb. Spike looked up and raised his shotgun.

"You're under arrest, asshole."

He pulled the trigger, and all at once, the twin bullets left their container. They flew through the air, faster than the eye could track, and struck Jack in the chest. The heavy impact threw him backwards. Bleeding heavily, Jack stumbled towards the Los Santos Aqueducts. Without even looking up, Spike fired the shotgun again. The bullets blew a hole clean through Jack's midsection and he toppled backwards, down into the aqueducts, finally dead.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Happy Days or any of its characters or any other things I may have cheesily (Is that even a word?) mentioned in this chapter. With that being said, enjoy the chapter.**

**Chapter 6**

**Trouble on the Train**

Catalina sat quietly in the chair. Jay and CJ stood over her menacingly, waiting for her to say something.

"She's not gonna talk." muttered Jay.

"Well, we have ways of making her talk." CJ reached into his back pocket and pulled out a knife. He held it to Catalina's throat. "Who hired you?"

"CJ, that's not how you get people to talk!"

"Just watch me." CJ pressed the knife tighter against Catalina's throat, pressing it hard enough to draw a single drop of blood.

"Ok, ok! Shit, don't kill me!" she exclaimed. CJ released Catalina and dropped his arm to his side. "Ok, who hired you?"

"It was--"

CJ's phone rang.

"Yo, hold up. I gotta get this." Jay took over the interrogation while CJ stepped into the kitchen to answer his phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey bro, it's Sweet."

"Aw, hey Sweet. What's going on?"

"I just received word that a drug shipment is leaving Las Venturas tonight. It's going to Los Santos. By train!"

"Drug shipment by train? Whose orders?" questioned CJ.

"I don't know, man. Just word from the street, you know? But apparently, some mafia family is setting it up. Fonzarelli or some shit."

"Oh, that's right! I always knew Henry Winkler was a big drug kingpin!"

"CJ, stop fooling around. I think you should go check it out."

"Yeah, yeah. What time is the train leaving?"

"10 o' clock, from Yellow Bell Station."

"Yellow Bell? That's a public station! How is somebody going to smuggle all that white onto a train in broad daylight?"

"Nighttime CJ, 10 o' clock." reminded Sweet.

"Chill out; it's just an expression. Anyways, I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks CJ. This means a lot to me."

"No problem, just doing my part."

CJ hung up the phone and went into the back room.

"So, Jay, what's the good word?"

"She says she bought the bomb from some arms dealer up in Fierro. Chinatown, to be exact."

"Well I'd love to help, but I just heard there was a shipment of crack coming into Los Santos tonight. By train. My brother is trusting me to stop it."

"Hey, I know about that!" Catalina chimed in. "The Forellis are behind it! They came to Los Santos like, yesterday! Everyone knows that."

"They just came here and they're already shipping their drugs?" Jay asked in disbelief.

"They don't wanna waste time, I guess." said CJ.

"I'm taking her in." said Jay, pointing to Catalina.

"Hey, since you're a cop, why not scope out that arms dealer?" asked CJ. "You're probably used to that kind of shit."

"I guess I could do that. You go intercept the train, then. I'll call you from time to time to keep you posted."

"Deal." said CJ.

And with that, they all left the house, with CJ driving off to Venturas and Jay escorting a handcuffed Catalina to his car.

* * *

CJ arrived in Las Venturas that night. He was dead tired, but he didn't want to take a nap. If he did, he would risk over-sleeping and he might not wake up until the next morning. By then, the train would already be in Los Santos.

CJ parked his car in the Yellow Bell parking lot and waited there. He flipped on his radio and set the station to Radio Los Santos. CJ tried to stay awake, but he couldn't. He was sound asleep within five minutes. Too bad CJ didn't wait a few more minutes before he fell asleep. If he had waited longer, he would have seen the train pull out of the station and continue down the tracks. Luckily, the loud music of Compton's Most Wanted shook CJ from his sleep. He was just in time to see the train drive out of sight.

"Oh shit! I'm late!" CJ cried. He smashed his foot on his car's gas pedal and sped after the train. Unfortunately, CJ had no idea how he would stop the train, or even get the driver's attention for that matter. But he would sure as hell try. CJ drove up alongside the train and grabbed onto a ladder hanging from the wall. He pulled himself out of his car and climbed up the ladder. Because it had no driver, the car veered out of control and crashed into a lightpost, right in the train driver's line of sight.

"Oh no!" the panic-stricken driver exclaimed. "Did I hit someone?" He pulled the brakes, and the train ground to a halt. On the side of the train, CJ screamed as the train suddenly stopped. He was flung off the ladder, up to the front of the train. The driver heard the thumping noise, which was caused by CJ hitting the ground.

"Oh my God! I did hit someone! It's ok, man! I'll get you to a hospital!" He picked up the groggy CJ and placed him in one of the train cars.

"We'll be at Los Santos soon. Just hang on. Don't die on me, dammit!" The driver ran back up to his cabin and started the train up again.

* * *

CJ lay in the train car, muttering to himself. He didn't know who or what caused the driver to stop the train, but whoever caused the problem must have been a real dumbass.

CJ looked around at his surroundings. Boxes and boxes of cocaine lay strewn around the car. CJ grinned and made his way over to the boxes. He had no way to get rid of it though. CJ sat on a box, thinking of a way to dispose of the drugs.

Suddenly, the door slid open. There stood a man in a black suit, with a cigar in his hand. He didn't look too pleased to see a beaten-up black man sitting on his boxes of coke.

"Who the hell are you? What are you doing here?" the man questioned.

"Oh shit." CJ muttered under his breath. He stood up and faced the man.

"What is this stuff doing here?" CJ asked.

Without warning, the man dropped down behind one of the boxes and came up with a machine gun. He fired it at CJ, causing him to drop down for cover.

"Who are you?" the man roared. "FBI? DEA?"

"No, man, I'm just a concerned citizen!" CJ protested.

"Bullshit!" The man ran over to the box and peered over the edge. CJ came up with a shard of glass and stabbed the man in the leg.

"Aaaahhh! Son of a bitch!" the man screamed. CJ saw this as a chance to escape the crazed gunman. He hurtled over the box and disappeared out the door. The man pulled the shard from his leg and followed CJ out the door.

* * *

CJ stood on the roof of the car. The train had entered Los Santos and was now traveling through the countryside. The wind blew in CJ's face and kicked up debris. He shielded his face as he was bombarded by dirt and pebbles. He stepped backwards, away from the onslaught, and nearly fell off the train. CJ caught himself just as the man with the machine gun climbed up the ladder.

"Hold on! Who are you?" asked CJ curiously.

"I'm with the Forellis. This is our shipment you're fucking with, asshole. This has to be at the docks in an hour. If it's not there, they'll have my head." The man looked down to reload his gun, and when he looked up, his face was met by a fast-moving foot. The man stumbled backwards, stunned from the blow. CJ kicked him again and the man fell off the train. He landed on the soft dirt below and cursed CJ as he traveled further and further away. CJ climbed back into the compartment and grabbed a box of cocaine. He threw open the door and prepared to toss the crate deep into the forest. Suddenly, the train turned, hard, and CJ was thrown to the side. The box he had been holding tumbled out the door.

"Shit!" CJ cried angrily. He grabbed another box and took it to the door.

"Attention all passengers. Attention all passengers." The driver's voice blared through a speaker in the ceiling. "There is a slight problem at the Union City station. Due to this problem, everyone on board will be dropped off at the Cranberry Station in San Fierro. We apologize for the inconvenience."

Good, CJ thought. That can buy me some time while I figure out what to do with this white.

* * *

The train was in Foster Valley when CJ heard a helicopter whirring in the distance. He paid no attention to it at first, but it soon began to get very annoying. CJ stuck his head outside and looked around. There, up in the sky, was the Mafia hitman CJ had previously knocked off the train. The man was piloting a Dodo, and he did not look very happy. CJ flipped him off and shut the compartment door. The man pulled out a rocket launcher and fired it. The rocket-propelled grenade smashed into the train car, the impact launching CJ face-first into the wall. The driver stopped the train immediately and went outside to see what the problem was. He saw the helicopter hovering in the air and its pilot wielding a deadly rocket launcher. The driver cried out in terror and dived into the bushes.

The pilot landed his helicopter on the roof of the train and stepped into the train car. This time, he had two grenades in his hand. He tossed them both at CJ's feet. CJ wasted no time in diving headlong out the door. He took off running down the tracks, with the Mafia hitman close behind. Behind them, the train car went up in a fiery, hellish explosion. People on the streets screamed as the car exploded in front of them.

"Hey, dumbass!" CJ called to the hitman. "You just blew up your whole shipment!" You're fucked now!"

CJ's taunting only made the hitman angrier. He took his pistol from his coat pocket and shot CJ in the arm. CJ cried out in pain, but kept going. He turned at the fork in the tracks and ran for the docks. The giant crane loomed up ahead. CJ raced to the crane and ran up its stairs, all the way to the top. The hitman followed suit.

"Ha! You're trapped now!" said the hitman. "There's no way off this crane now."

CJ stepped backwards, towards the edge. Small stones and bits of metal, kicked up by CJ's shoes, fell to the ground fifty feet below. CJ mentally cursed himself. Why the hell had he gone up here anyways? The hitman had a gun and CJ didn't. The hitman had the advantage and CJ didn't. The hitman was about to get his ass kicked.

CJ dropped to his knees with his hands clasped behind his head, feigning surrender. The hitman lowered his gun to the back of CJ's head and pistol-whipped him. CJ cried out in pain and fell forwards, blood dripping from the open wound. Then, he grinned at the sight in front of him. There, sitting next to a control panel, was a TEC-9. CJ had no idea what the hell the gun was doing there, but he was in no position to complain. CJ snatched up the gun and whirled around. The hitman's mouth dropped open and CJ emptied the bullets into his body. The hitman staggered backwards and fell from the crane, landing on the deck of the cargo ship below. CJ climbed down from the crane and left the docks. He started his walk to Chinatown, hoping that someone there could tell him where Jay went.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**A Piece Of The Puzzle**

CJ stood hunched over at the top of the hill, panting. That street was steeper than he expected. CJ regained his composure and flung open the door of the betting parlor.

"Hey, Woozie! Where you at?" CJ called into the darkness. "And why are these lights off?"

The lights clicked on and there stood Wu Zi Mu, or as CJ liked to call him, Woozie.

"CJ, you know I don't need the lights on. Won't do me any good."

"Oh, right." CJ muttered sheepishly. Woozie was blind, but he had flawless driving skills. It seemed as if his unfortunate impediment didn't bother him at all. Woozie was unusually optimistic (not to mention lucky) for a man in his position.

"So, what's up, my friend?" Woozie asked, pulling out a chair for CJ to sit on.

"Remember my friend Jay? The guy who helped us bring down the Black Dragon? Did he come by here earlier today?"

"As a matter of fact, he did. He was asking about some arms dealer...what was his name...damn, I forgot the guy's name. Sorry, Carl. I didn't even know who Jay was talking about; I'd never heard of him."

"Well apparently, this bitch sold the bomb that blew up Caligula's Casino."

"Really? Well, you'd think that I would have heard of him, but I actually haven't. I wish I could be of more help."

"Well, do you know where Jay went?"

"To tell you the truth, I wasn't even here when he came by. My men just told me what happened. Go ask Lion. He might know."

"Alright then," replied CJ. "I'll do that."

"Go ahead. He's in the back room."

CJ stood up from his chair and walked up the stairs. He grabbed the doorknob and tried to turn it, but it wouldn't budge.

"Yo, Woozie! The damn thing's locked!"

"What? It shouldn't be locked. See if anyone's inside."

CJ knocked on the door and yelled, "Hey! Anyone in there?" No answer.

"Alright, Woozie, get back." ordered CJ. Woozie did as he was told, and CJ took a few steps backwards. He lowered his shoulder and ran at the door, hitting it full-force. The door flew open and CJ gaped at the sight inside. There stood Little Lion, pinned against the wall by an masked assailant. The would-be murderer had a knife against Lion's throat but turned away when he heard the door crash open.

"James, get the fuck down!" CJ called. Little Lion, aka Inspector James Tom dropped to the ground. CJ shot the masked man in the chest three times and watched as he crumpled to the floor.

"What the hell just happened?" cried Woozie.

"I don't know," panted Lion, out of breath. "Some guy climbed in through the window and put the knife to my neck.

"Did you recognize his voice?" asked Woozie.

"He never said anything. I couldn't see his face either."

CJ went over to the corpse and removed the mask, revealing a lifeless face covered in dirt and scars. He also had greasy, untrimmed hair.

"Hey," CJ called to Lion. "You recognize him?

"Uh, no, I don't think so."

"What does he look like?" asked Woozie.

"Um...muddy, short, white guy, greasy black hair." observed Lion.

Woozie thought for a minute, trying to think where he had heard about someone with those characteristics. Then he said:

"Hey, doesn't that fit the description of one of the murderers from the Dillimore diner? The ones who killed James Charrin?"

"Damn, you're right!" CJ exclaimed in realization. "Tell you what. You guys see what you can find out about this bastard here. I'm gonna go off to find Jay."

"What should we do?" asked Woozie.

"Anything. I don't care. Just see what you can learn about him."

"Will do, CJ. We'll be seeing you."

"Yeah, alright. See you dudes later."

CJ left the betting parlor and stood on the street, pondering his next move. Across the way, a woman was preparing fish. The pungent smell of Chinese spices entered CJ's nostrils, and he gladly welcomed the overpowering scent. Then, the smell of fish guts passed overhead and CJ coughed and clapped his hand over his nose and mouth. CJ shook his head. Gotta think about the matter at hand, he told himself. Don't get high on Chinese spices.

As CJ walked up the street, his phone rang.

"Hello?"

"CJ, it's Joe."

"Fat Joe? What's up, man?"

"These two Ballas came into your house a while ago. They wanted to kill you, but they didn't know you weren't home."

"What? How the fuck did they get in, anyways?"

"They told Tommy they were electricians. He let them in."

"And?"

"We killed them. Spike was shot in the leg though, so he's at the hospital right now."

"Well, at least you took them out. I appreciate that." CJ answered sincerely.

"Where are you, anyways?" Fat Joe questioned.

"Yeah, about that...could you come get me? I'm in San Fierro."

"San Fierro? How the hell did you get there without a car?"

"Long story. So you comin' to get me?"

"Sorry, CJ. I think the best thing for me to do would be to stay out of sight right now. Away from Ballas."

"Alright, fine. Stay low then."

"Ok, homie. I'll be seeing you."

Fat Joe hung up.

"Son of a bitch!" CJ cursed. Then a biker drove up and parked his motorcycle on the curb. He walked into the bar nearby. CJ wasted no time in jumping onto the bike and driving away. CJ laughed as the angry biker shouted strings of curses and insults behind him. CJ paid no attention to the insults, but stopped in his tracks when he heard 'your mom,' 'sex,' and 'cow' in the same sentence. The biker had gone too far. CJ put the bike in reverse and did a 180° spin. He withdrew his gun and trained it on the biker. With a yelp of fear, the biker turned and ran back into the bar.

"You better run!" called CJ. He turned the bike around once more and drove back up the hill. His phone rang again.

"Dammit! Now what?"

CJ pulled out his phone and spoke.

"Hello?"

"It's Jay.

"Jay! Finally, man! I thought you would never call!"

"What?"

"I thought you would never call."

"WHAT?"

"I thought you would ne--...Never mind. My phone's dying. I'm gonna get to a payphone, hold on."

CJ hung up and put his phone back. He turned to the payphone behind him and pulled the grimy phone from the hook. Then he dialed Jay's number.

"Ok, I'm back." CJ said as soon as Jay answered.

"Why didn't you call me earlier?" Jay asked.

"I tried. Your phone wasn't even on, dumbass."

"Right, sorry. I forgot."

"Well, whatever. Where are you?"

"I'm outside the Vank Hoff Hotel."

"Vank Hoff. What a stupid name."

"Yeah, sure, ok. Anyways, come meet me here. I may have a location on our boy."

"The arms dealer?"

"Yeah. I asked around."

"Ok, great. I'll be over there as soon as I can."

CJ didn't even bother to hang up the phone. He climbed back onto the motorcycle and took off.

Meanwhile, in a nearby alley...

"Ok. I have a location on them. Meet me at the Vank Hoff Hotel. We've got some bugs to exterminate.

* * *

CJ drove through the crowded streets of Kings. It was nighttime again and CJ was sleepy. This time, though, he promised himself he would stay awake, no matter how tired he was. He tuned the radio to K-DST and listened contently to Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird." CJ eagerly awaited the guitar riff which would begin halfway through the song and continue until the end. It was CJ's favorite part, and plus, the loud music would keep him awake and alert. CJ was so busy singing and humming to the song that he didn't notice the black Sentinel trailing him, not too far behind. The car would follow CJ all the way to the Vank Hoff Hotel.

* * *

CJ exited his car and met up with Jay, who was sitting on a bench outside the hotel.

"Hey, CJ. Want some of this candy? It's good."

"Huh?"

"I bought some chocolate earlier. You want some?" Jay repeated.

"No. Anyways, tell me what you found out." CJ said curiously.

"Well, it wasn't easy, but after a bit of sleuthing I think I may have found out the arms dealer's location.

Sleuthing, CJ thought to himself. What a dork.

"So? Where is he?"

"An old shack up in Las Brujas."

"Las Brujas? The fuckin' desert?" CJ blurted. "Then why did you tell me to meet you here?"

"I don't know. It's right near the candy shop, and I was tired from eating so much candy. I didn't feel like driving."

"Lazy bastard." muttered CJ. "Lemme try some of that candy, then. See how good it is."

CJ opened the box and took a square-shaped chocolate. He took a bite out of it and smiled happily. The cool flavor of the chocolate and...whatever else was in it...was wonderful.

"Damn, man! This is good! Where'd you get it, anyways?" CJ asked.

"Right down the street. It was pretty cheap, too."

"Well, I'm gonna go get some. You gonna stay here or do you wanna come?"

"I'll go with you."

"A'ight then. Let's get my fat ass some candy."

CJ and Jay walked down to the candy store, eating more and more chocolate as they walked.

They pushed open the door and walked inside. A tiny bell rang overhead as the door was opened.

"Hello, boys." The old man at the counter greeted CJ and Jay as they passed by. "Can I help you find anything?"

"No, that's ok." Jay answered politely as CJ took the box from the shelf and placed it on the counter.

Meanwhile, as CJ and Jay were making their purchase, the black Sentinel that had been trailing CJ earlier pulled up outside. Two men got out and entered the candy shop. The first man pointed to CJ and Jay.

"You two: come with us." he ordered.

"What? Who are you?" questioned Jay suspiciously.

The second man pulled a Desert Eagle and pointed it at CJ.

"Come with us now!" he yelled.

CJ dropped to the floor as Jay shot the mysterious man in the head. The bullet entered through the forehead and came out the back, covered with blood and brain matter. It smashed into the wall as the man's mouth dropped open and he fell to the ground, his eyes staring lifelessly into the distance.

"Holy God!" the cashier cried, dropping behind his register. He pressed the red security button under the counter and covered his head.

"Don't worry sir, I'm a policeman." Jay called to the cowering man.

"That's nice!" cried the man. "There's a gun battle going on in my shop; how am I supposed to keep calm?"

"Easy, easy," said CJ. "Don't give yourself a heart attack."

The gunman opened fire and CJ dove into a nearby aisle.

"Jay! Little help here?" CJ called frantically.

"Where are you? There's like a million aisles in this place."

"I'm in the one with the candy!" cried CJ.

"No shit, Sherlock! Which aisle with the candy?"

"I can't call out the number. He'll find me!" said CJ.

"Damn, you're right." realized Jay.

CJ darted from aisle to aisle, trying to hide. He called out the number of each aisle he went to, trying to confuse the gunman and at the same time, give Jay a location. It was harder to tell who was getting more confused: Jay or the gunman.

"Screw this cat-and-mouse bullshit!" exclaimed the gunman. "You're dead, little man!"

From his pocket, he produced a grenade. He lobbed towards the direction of CJ's voice and watched it arc through the air. The grenade exploded and there was an audible scream. A few of the shelves and displays caught fire as well.

"CJ?" Jay called, fearing the worst. "CJ! CJ!"

CJ quietly snuck up behind Jay.

"Ssshhh." whispered CJ. "I'm right here." He took Jay's gun and crept silently towards the gunman. Unfortunately, the reflective candy display nearby gave away CJ's location, and the wary gunman dove into an aisle.

"Motherfucker!" CJ yelled angrily.

"Watch this." said Jay. He took a few steps backward, then ran up and slammed into the first shelf on the aisle. The shelf toppled forward, knocking into the next shelf. That shelf knocked down the third shelf, and soon every shelf was falling over. The gunman ran into the open to avoid being hit by the crashing shelves, and was promptly gunned down by CJ. The cashier emerged from his hiding place with a fire extinguisher and raced towards the burning shelves. He sprayed the foam over the blaze, taking it out before it could cause any real damage.

The shopkeeper surveyed the damage and sighed. He couldn't afford to fix his store.

"We're really sorry about this, sir." apologized Jay. "Is there any way we can help?"

"I've got an idea." said CJ. He walked over to the man and opened his checkbook. He signed the check, ripped it out, and handed it to the man.

"Two hundred thousand dollars!" exclaimed the shopkeeper. "How the heck can you afford that?"

"Aw, it's all good." replied CJ. "Maybe it'll get you started."

"Pssh. Yeah, maybe." scoffed the shopkeeper. "How can I ever thank you?"

"Forget it. Just keep making the best chocolate in San Fierro, that's all."

"Hey, CJ! Check this out!" called Jay, who had been busy investigating the gunman's body.

CJ went over to Jay, who was holding up the dead man's hand.

"Look at this ring! It looks strange, doesn't it? The first guy was wearing a ring just like this one."

"That's weird. The guy guarding the drug shipment had one too. The guy on the train."

"They're all from the same gang." said Jay

"So that means these guys are Forellis then. What the fuck do they want with us?" wondered CJ

"Maybe they're pissed at you for blowing up the train." suggested Jay.

"No, I don't think so. Remember, the first guy asked for both of us. He knew that you and I were working together. The guy from the train only saw me, remember?"

"So that means they must have followed us to the shop." said Jay

"Or they heard us talking outside the hotel.

"Or they've been listening in on our damn phone calls."

"Maybe they're working for that arms dealer dude."

"Good point."

"So then, let's get this shit straight. The Forellis are major arms dealers who sold the bomb that blew up Caligula's?" CJ asked, more confused than ever.

"Not necessarily. Maybe the arms dealer hired these two guys. It was just a side job for them."

"Ok. So the guys we fought are all Forellis. Except these two fools are moonlighting as assassins for a powerful arms dealer, right? So the guy on the train had nothing to do with this." CJ said.

"So where do Catalina and Kelly come in?" asked Jay.

"They were just hired by their boss to buy the bomb from the arms dealer. Catalina and Kelly planted the bomb in the casino. The dealer didn't know what the bomb was for. But these two Mafia guys here must have bugged our phone call. They knew that we were coming for their boss." answered CJ.

"But, that doesn't make sense. You'd think that these guys were hired a while ago, right? Like, a long time ago?"

"Yeah, that makes sense."

"But we talked about hunting the arms dealer down today. We talked about it today. They only heard us talking about it a few hours ago. So that means—"

"That means that they weren't hired just to assassinate us then. They couldn't have been hired and briefed in just two hours." finished CJ.

"Holy shit." muttered Jay. "This made so much sense before we came into this store."

Still confused by what was going on, CJ and Jay left the store, everything a blur.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**Happy Birthday, Sweet**

"Hey. When are you coming home?" asked Tommy.

"For what?" asked CJ, holding his cellular phone closer to his ear.

"Damn, homie, you don't remember? Sweet's birthday's today, dude!"

"Oh, fuck! I forgot all about it! What are you guys gonna do for him?" asked CJ.

"Aw, nothing much. We're just gonna have a party for him. You know, presents, barbecue, stuff like that. If you leave San Fierro right now, you could still make it over here."

"Good idea, man. I'll do that." said CJ.

"Later, homie." Tommy hung up and the line went dead.

"Who was that?" Jay asked CJ.

"It was Tommy. Today's Sweet's birthday, man! With all this shit goin' on everywhere, I forgot it was today!" CJ cried. He felt pretty disappointed in himself for forgetting his own brother's birthday.

"We better get back to Los Santos then. We'll take a break from this cop stuff for a while." Jay suggested.

"Great, thanks. I knew you'd understand." CJ said, relieved.

"Sure. The arms dealer can wait."

* * *

After taking a quick nap, CJ and Jay got back to Los Santos that afternoon.

"Hey, you should get Sweet something." Jay said.

"You're right. Let's go to Pro-Laps." CJ suggested. "They've got some tight jackets there."

"No problem."

Jay pulled into the parking lot and stopped the car.

"You coming?" asked CJ as he stepped out.

"Nah, you go ahead. I'm gonna try to get some rest." answered Jay.

"Ok, that's cool. I'll be out soon."

CJ stepped into the sports store and looked around. He spotted the jacket he had been planning to buy and he took it from the shelf. CJ went over to the counter and placed the jacket down. The cashier on duty, an attractive twenty-something year-old brunette, smiled warmly at CJ as he looked up. CJ smiled back casually, too busy to notice the girl's awestruck gaze.

As CJ made his purchase, a Balla entered the store. He pretended to check out the shoes as he fiddled around in his coat pocket, looking for something. He pulled out the picture, and then looked at the man at the counter. He nodded. That's him, the Balla thought. Carl Johnson.

* * *

CJ exited the store and walked to Jay's Stinger. He rapped on the door and Jay woke up groggily. He reached back and unlocked the car door.

"You find anything?" Jay asked, as CJ got in.

"I found this Dribblers jacket. Sweet's favorite team. I hope he likes it."

"Damn, lighten up. Stop worrying so much about the party. They'll all be happy to see you."

"Yeah, you're right."

As they were talking, the Balla exited the store. He was just in time to see Jay back out of his parking spot and bump into the purple Tahoma next to him.

"Oops." Jay muttered.

CJ glanced into the rearview mirror and saw a man in a purple jacket running towards the car Jay had hit. The man knelt down and felt the dent on his car, checking the extent of the damage.

"Sorry, man. I'll gladly take car of the damages." Jay offered.

"Motherfucker!" the man yelled, pointing his gun at Jay. CJ and Jay both retaliated, pulling their own guns. The Balla, realizing that he was outnumbered, ran up to the front of his car, tugged the door open, and jumped in.

"This isn't over, Carl Johnson!" he cried vengefully as he drove off. "I'll be back, motherfucker!"

"Whatever." CJ muttered, as he placed the jacket in the backseat. He went up to the passenger's side, flung open the door, and took his seat.

* * *

"Hey, Sweet!" CJ called, as he approached Sweet's house.

Sweet left the barbecue and went to greet CJ and Jay. It was nighttime, and everyone was at the grill, which was standing right next to Sweet's house. Kendl and Cesar were grilling steaks, and Fat Joe, Tommy, Spike and Robert Jackson were tossing a football around.

"How've you been, bro?" Sweet asked, as he embraced CJ.

"I'm fine, man. How are you?" CJ replied.

"I'm good. I've just been taking care of shit while you were away. You know, taking out the base pushers, keeping the Ballas and Vagos away." Sweet turned his attention to Jay.

"What's been happenin' with you, man?"

"Nothing much, Sweet. CJ and I have been checking out that bombing at Caligula's."

"Oh yeah. How's that going?" asked Sweet.

"It's pretty good. We have a few leads." said Jay.

"A _few _leads?" CJ asked jokingly.

Jay rolled his eyes. "Fine. We have one damn lead. The bastard's hiding out in Las Brujas."

"Hey!" Cesar called, interrupting the conversation. "Steak's ready!"

CJ, Jay, and Sweet ran to Sweet's front lawn and sat at the picnic table Kendl had set up. Fat Joe, Tommy, and Spike took seats too. Cesar and Kendl brought the food to the table, and then they too, took their seats. CJ handed Sweet his birthday present.

"Hope you like it, bro. I know they're your favorite team." CJ told him.

Sweet's face lit up with a big smile that CJ hadn't seen in years. He got up and took his new jacket into the house.

* * *

The gang had barely begun to eat when suddenly, two pairs of headlights shone in the distance from under the Grove Street overpass. The cars came in, and everyone was shocked to see that they were being driven by Ballas. The two cars stopped in the center of the cul-de-sac, and four Ballas emerged from each.

"Oh, shit!" cried Cesar, jumping up from the bench. The Ballas rushed CJ and his friends, shooting at them the whole time. Fat Joe tipped the picnic table over, intending for his friends to use it as a shield. Kendl was the first to take cover. She crouched behind the makeshift shield and covered her head. The rest of the gang took out their guns and traded gunfire with the Ballas. Sweet emerged from his house, wielding an SMG, and began to fire wildly upon the Ballas' cars. Both cars exploded, taking out a total of three unfortunate Ballas. Sweet's gun clicked empty and he flung it away, onto the grass. Meanwhile, the rest of the gang was taking cover behind cars, houses, fences-whatever they could find.

Robert, who was crouched behind Sweet's Greenwood, happened to look up at the overpass. A lone Balla was running along the side of the overpass. He stopped and turned to face the railing. Then, to Robert's horror, the Balla took out an RPG and aimed it at the battle going on below.

"RPG!" Robert called frantically. Everyone dove out of the way at Robert's command. The missile whizzed over Cesar's head and exploded against the fence behind him. The fence exploded in a shower of flaming splinters, which rained down into the aqueducts below.

"Holy shit!" Cesar exclaimed in disbelief.

Up on the overpass, the Balla swore angrily and reloaded his missile launcher. CJ scrambled away from his spot and ran around to the back of his house. He emerged in a few minutes clutching a sniper rifle, which he had hidden away in a hole behind his house. CJ knelt next to Robert and trained his sniper scope on the Balla. He fired once, and the bullet smashed into the Balla's chest. He was only able to grab at his chest for a second before he dropped dead from the overpass onto the street below. The rocket launcher came with him. It struck the ground and discharged a shell at the rest of the Ballas, killing two of them. Now, only two Ballas were left. They glanced at each other nervously, then took off, sprinting down the street. CJ started after them, but Sweet restrained his brother.

"Fuck 'em, CJ. If they know what's best for themselves, they ain't gonna do shit." Sweet declared.

"You're right." CJ agreed.

"Come on, guys." said Jay. "Let's get inside before anything else happens."

At the sound of Jay's voice, a helicopter rose up from the aqueducts. It hovered forward and hung over Sweet's house. The co-pilot reached under his seat and produced an enormous gatling gun.

"Oh, shit!" exclaimed CJ. "Motherfuckers got themselves a 'bird!"

"Everyone, get the fuck down!" Sweet cried, noticing the large gun in the co-pilot's arms.

Everyone dropped to the ground and covered their heads as chaingun fire rained down. Bullets pelted cars, buildings, and anything else unlucky enough to be in their path.

"It's a goddamn war zone!" yelled Robert, to no one in particular. He was hiding behind the wooden picnic table.

"CJ, where's that sniper rifle?" demanded Sweet, who was hiding in the bushes.

"I hid it underneath your car!" CJ replied.

Suddenly, the gunfire stopped. The giant gun had overheated and the two Balla pilots were waiting for it to cool down. Sweet took this brief pause as a chance to retrieve the sniper rifle. Still lying on his stomach, he scrambled out of the bushes and crawled to his car as fast as gravity would allow. He reached underneath and removed the rifle. Then, Sweet stood up and raised the rifle up towards the helicopter. He aimed at the pilot, and with one quick shot, the pilot was dropped out of the cockpit. With no one to control it, the helicopter sank like a stone to the ground below. The dazed co-pilot crawled out of the wreckage, coughing. In front of his face were two pairs of shoes. One of the shoes flung out and hit the Balla square in the face, knocking him backwards. CJ and Sweet reached down, grabbed the Balla and hauled him into Sweet's house. They sat him down on a wooden chair in the kitchen.

"Hey, Sweet, hand me Gramps' gun." CJ said, tying the Balla down to the chair.

Sweet walked over to a shelf on the wall. On the shelf sat a glass case, and in the case was an old Colt six-shooter. Sweet carefully removed his grandfather's old gun from the box, along with a pack of bullets. He took them over to CJ.

"Oh no, Sweet, I don't need all the bullets. Just one."

Sweet removed a single bullet from the box and loaded it into the chamber. He tossed the gun to CJ and grinned.

"Oh, hell no." the Balla said, catching on to CJ's idea. "Oh no, not that!"

CJ spun the chamber of the gun a few times and aimed it at the Balla's face.

"Ever play Russian Roulette?"

* * *

Meanwhile, the rest of the group was waiting impatiently outside.

"What are they doing in there?" asked Kendl.

"I think they're interrogating the Balla." answered Jay.

"How are they gonna make him talk?" asked Fat Joe, joining in on the conversation.

"Let's go see." suggested Jay.

With that, the whole group ran over to the kitchen window and peered into the house.

* * *

"You tell us what you know, and I won't have to shoot you." proposed CJ. "Ok?"

The Balla spat on CJ's shoe defiantly. "Fuck you, Grove Street bitch."

CJ pulled the trigger. The gun clicked empty.

"Got lucky that time, fool. Let's go for one more try."

The Balla shook his head.

CJ pulled the trigger again. Nothing happened.

"2 out of 6. Ready for another one?"

Sweat dripped down the terrified Balla's face. Somehow, he managed to hold his composure.

"F-f-f-fuck you." he stammered.

CJ pulled the trigger.

"Damn, nigga, you got some luck on your side. 3 shots left. Still wanna risk it?"

"Ok! Ok!" the Balla finally agreed. "I'll tell you everything."

"Fucking finally!" Sweet cried, half a Saltine cracker in his hand.

* * *

"Can anybody see what's going on?" asked Robert, trying to get a good look inside.

"They just cracked him." answered Jay. "Looks like they were playing some good ol' Russian Roulette."

"Ah. That's never fun." said Robert.

"Listen, guys." interrupted Kendl. "You hear that?"

A few blocks down the street, a vroom-vroom sound could be heard.

"What is that?" asked Tommy.

"Sounds like cars, _ese_." said Cesar.

"Or motorcycles." Spike chimed in.

Four PCJ-600s pulled into Grove Street, and the group got a good look at the drivers.

"Shit! It's those bustas from earlier! And they brought friends!" cried Fat Joe.

* * *

"So you were working for the Forellis?" Sweet asked.

"Yeah. Some Forelli dude hired us, said he wanted us to clear out the "opposition". He knew who you were, Carl. He wanted you out of his way before he took over Los Santos." the Balla answered.

"Take over Los Santos? What is this crazy bastard thinking?" blurted CJ. "What else did he say?"

"He didn't say anything else. All he said was to take you out."

"Who else did this guy hire?" asked Sweet.

"Uh, the helicopter guy, and..."

"The guys in the San Fierro candy shop? Did Forelli hire them, too?" asked CJ

"Candy shop? I don't know nothing about candy shop guys. I just told you everything I knew."

"Fine. Sweet, keep an eye on him. I'm going outside." said CJ.

CJ stepped outside and nearly got a bullet in the teeth.

"Holy shit!" he exclaimed, dropping to the ground. He drew his pistol and fired at the nearest Balla. The shot missed and the Balla fired back. CJ dove out of the way and looked around. His friends were all doing their best to hold the Ballas back. Fat Joe, Tommy, and Spike were all shooting from different places. Cesar was hiding behind a house and taking potshots at anyone who dared to get close. Kendl was shooting from behind a car and Robert was firing his Desert Eagle from behind a wall. None of their bullets were making contact with any Ballas whatsoever. CJ leaned up and fired a shot at the closest Balla's arm. He fell to the ground howling, clutching his arm in pain. Spike took this opportunity to shoot a Balla in the head. His head exploded in a fine mist and his body crumpled to the ground. Spike winced at the sight; he never wanted that to happen. Cesar and Kendl stood up at the same time and shot the third Balla three times each. The Balla was knocked backwards with each shot and the last one threw him over a low fence. Now, only one Balla was left, and CJ recognized him as the one from the Pro-Laps parking lot. The Balla turned, leaped onto his bike, and took off down the street. CJ wasted no time in doing the same.

* * *

The Balla whooshed down the road, weaving past cars, pedestrians, and street signs. He had no idea where he was going, but he knew that he wanted to get away from this Carl Johnson bastard. If he ever got out of this alive, he would quit gang life and become a shoes salesman. Or maybe a dentist. That's what his mom had wanted him to do.

"Hey!" called CJ, not too far behind. "Stop, man! I just wanna talk!"

"Go fuck yourself!" retorted the Balla as he drove even faster.

CJ paused to think about what the Balla had just told him. Is that even possible, CJ thought?

The Balla turned around and shot at the tires on CJ's motorcycle. The front tire exploded and CJ was thrown off of the bike. The bike spun out onto someone's front yard.

"Shit!" CJ cried. "Shit! Shit! Shit!"

He had just enough time to draw his gun and shoot the tire on the Balla's motorcycle. He too, cursed angrily as he was thrown off his bike onto the train tracks. CJ calmly walked up to the Balla, who was moaning in pain on the ground. He pressed his gun against the Balla's forehead and said, "Bitch, I know you're gonna want this to be easy, so just tell me everything you know."

"Ok." agreed the Balla.

"Ok?" asked CJ, not sure if he had heard correctly. "Just like that? Ok?"

"Hey, you want to know or not?"

"Alright, alright." said CJ, lowering his gun.

"I was hired by the Forellis to kill you. They came to take over San Andreas and they want you out of the way."

"Yeah, yeah, I heard that part already. Anything else?" asked CJ.

"They're the ones who bombed Caligula's."

"Ok, great. Now tell me something I don't know."

"Dammit, man, that's all I know! Oh wait. Did you hear about that arms dealer? The one up in Las Brujas?"

"Unfortunately for you motherfucker, I did." said CJ, bringing his gun back up to the Balla's head. "You wanna tell me something better?"

"Ok! The leader of the Forellis is Sam Forelli. He and his men came from Vice City. They're planning to take over San Andreas, one city at a time. And the arms dealer, the one hiding in Las Brujas? He goes by Drake.

"Drake? Is that a first name or a last name?"

"I don't know. Might not even be his real name at all. But he's very powerful. He's got men all around San Andreas. You would do the Forellis a favor by taking him out."

"Man, I knew you was good for something." CJ said, grinning.

Just then, a loud crack split the air. Blood spurted from the Balla's neck as he was thrown backwards onto the pavement. CJ examined the body, and was shocked to see a large bullet hole in the Balla's throat. CJ knew that this was the work of a sniper rifle. Someone, somewhere, was watching him.


End file.
